Degrading avatar appearances in a virtual universe

ABSTRACT

An invention that degrades avatar appearances in a virtual universe is provided. In one embodiment, there is a degradation tool, including a visual obstruction component configured to: identify an object in the virtual universe as an object of interest, and determine whether a set of avatars within the virtual universe is likely to cause a visual obstruction of the object of interest to an avatar. The degradation tool further comprises a modification component configured to degrade an appearance of at least one of the set of avatars within the virtual universe if the set of avatars within the virtual universe is likely to cause a visual obstruction of the object of interest to the avatar.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to virtual universes and morespecifically to the degradation of virtual content rendered in a virtualuniverse.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Virtual universes or virtual worlds are computer-based simulatedenvironments intended for its users or residents to inhabit and interactvia avatars, which are personas or representations of the users of thevirtual universes and generally take the form of two-dimensional orthree-dimensional human or fantastical representations of a person'sself. These types of virtual universes are now most common in massivelymultiplayer online games, such as Second Life®, which is a trademark ofLinden Research Inc. in the United States. Avatars in these types ofvirtual universes, which can number well over a million, have a widerange of business and social experiences.

Many regions within a virtual universe contain complex environments withlarge numbers of objects and avatars. It is possible for these virtualuniverses to be quite complex, with each virtual universe or regionwithin the virtual universe having a large number of avatars, objects,texts, and scripts for desired visual and functional effects. However,crowded and/or visually complex virtual universes can make it difficultfor users to identify and distinguish objects in the virtual universe.In crowded regions within the virtual universe, e.g., virtual stores, alarge group of avatars may occlude the vision of other avatars as theyinspect products, signs, salespeople, etc. Additionally, many avatars inone location may slow the rendering rates for virtual universe clients.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, there is a method for degrading avatar appearances ina virtual universe. In this embodiment, the method comprises:identifying an object in the virtual universe as an object of interest;determining whether a set of avatars within the virtual universe islikely to cause a visual obstruction of the object of interest to anavatar; and degrading an appearance of at least one of the set ofavatars within the virtual universe if the set of avatars within thevirtual universe is likely to cause a visual obstruction of the objectof interest to the avatar.

In a second embodiment, there is a computer system for degrading avatarappearances in the virtual universe, the system comprising at least oneprocessing unit and memory operably associated with the at least oneprocessing unit. A degradation tool is storable in memory and executableby the at least one processing unit. The degradation tool comprises avisual obstruction component configured to: identify an object in thevirtual universe as an object of interest, and determine whether a setof avatars within the virtual universe is likely to cause a visualobstruction of the object of interest to an avatar. The degradation toolfurther comprises a modification component configured to degrade anappearance of at least one of the set of avatars within the virtualuniverse if the set of avatars within the virtual universe is likely tocause a visual obstruction of the object of interest to the avatar.

In a third embodiment, there is a computer-readable medium storingcomputer instructions, which when executed, enables a computer system todegrade avatar appearances in a virtual universe. In this embodiment,the computer instructions comprise: identifying an object in the virtualuniverse as an object of interest; determining whether a set of avatarswithin the virtual universe is likely to cause a visual obstruction ofthe object of interest to an avatar; and degrading an appearance of atleast one of the set of avatars within the virtual universe if the setof avatars within the virtual universe is likely to cause a visualobstruction of the object of interest to the avatar.

In a fourth embodiment, there is a method for deploying a degradationtool for use in a computer system that degrades avatar appearances in avirtual universe. In this embodiment, a computer infrastructure isprovided and is operable to: identify an object in the virtual universeas an object of interest; determine whether a set of avatars within thevirtual universe is likely to cause a visual obstruction of the objectof interest to an avatar; and degrade an appearance of at least one ofthe set of avatars within the virtual universe if the set of avatarswithin the virtual universe is likely to cause a visual obstruction ofthe object of interest to the avatar.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a high-level schematic diagram showing a networkingenvironment for providing a virtual universe according to one embodimentof this invention;

FIG. 2 shows a more detailed view of a virtual region shown in thevirtual universe of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a more detailed view of the virtual universe client shownin FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a more detailed view of some of the functionalitiesprovided by the server array shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 shows a degradation tool according to one embodiment of thisinvention that operates in the environment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 shows a schematic of an exemplary computing environment in whichelements of the networking environment shown in FIG. 1 may operate; and

FIG. 7 shows a flow diagram of a method for degrading avatar appearancesin a virtual universe according to embodiments of the invention.

The drawings are not necessarily to scale. The drawings are merelyschematic representations, not intended to portray specific parametersof the invention. The drawings are intended to depict only typicalembodiments of the invention, and therefore should not be considered aslimiting the scope of the invention. In the drawings, like numberingrepresents like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of this invention are directed to degrading avatarappearances in a virtual universe to make certain avatars less intrusivebased on dynamic criteria. In these embodiments, a degradation toolprovides the capability to provide an alternative representation ofvirtual content in a virtual universe. Specifically, the degradationtool comprises a visual obstruction component configured to: identify anobject in the virtual universe as an object of interest, and determinewhether a set of avatars within the virtual universe is likely to causea visual obstruction of the object of interest to an avatar. Thedegradation tool further comprises a modification component configuredto degrade an appearance of at least one of the set of avatars withinthe virtual universe if the set of avatars within the virtual universeis likely to cause a visual obstruction of the object of interest to theavatar.

FIG. 1 shows a high-level schematic diagram showing a networkingenvironment 10 for providing a virtual universe (VU) 12 according to oneembodiment of this invention in which a service for degrading avatarappearances in a virtual universe can be utilized. As shown in FIG. 1,networking environment 10 comprises a server array or grid 14 comprisinga plurality of servers 16 each responsible for managing a portion ofvirtual real estate within VU 12. A virtual universe provided by amultiplayer online game, for example, can employ thousands of servers tomanage all of the virtual real estate. The virtual content of VU 12 iscomprised of a number of avatars and objects, each having associatedtexts/scripts defined in a programming language readable by VU 12. Thevirtual content is managed by each of servers 16 within server array 14and may show up in VU 12 as a virtual region 18. Like the real-world,each virtual region 18 within VU 12 comprises a landscape having virtualcontent, such as buildings, stores, clubs, sporting arenas, parks,beaches, cities and towns all created by administrators or residents ofthe universe that are represented by avatars. These examples of virtualcontent are only illustrative of some things that may be found in avirtual region and are not limiting. Furthermore, the number of virtualregions 18 shown in FIG. 1 is only for illustration purposes and thoseskilled in the art will recognize that there may be many more regionsfound in a typical virtual universe, or even only one region in a smallvirtual universe. FIG. 1 also shows that users operating computers20A-20C (hereinafter referred generally as 20) interact with VU 12through a communications network 22 via virtual universe clients 24A-24C(hereinafter referred generally as 24) that reside in computers 20,respectively. Below are further details of VU 12, server array 14, andvirtual universe client 24.

FIG. 2 shows a more detailed view of what one virtual region 18 in VU 12may comprise. As an example, virtual region 18 shown in FIG. 2 comprisesa downtown office center 26, homes 28, restaurants 30, a supermarket 32and a shopping mall 34 for shopping, and a convention center 36 formeetings and various conventions. Residents or avatars, which asmentioned above, are personas or representations of the users of thevirtual universe, roam all about the virtual region by walking, driving,flying or even by teleportation or transportation, which is essentiallymoving through space from one point to another, more or lessinstantaneously. The present invention will hereinafter be described inthe context of an exemplary avatar 38 and a set of avatars 39 for thesake of clarity. Set of avatars 39 represent other avatars/users withinthe virtual universe that may also traverse virtual region 18. However,it will be appreciated that the methods described herein for degradingavatar appearances apply broadly to avatar 38 and set of avatars 39.Further, virtual region 18 is not limited to the embodiment shown, andcan have any number of avatars and objects that can be found inreal-life as well as the virtual world.

FIG. 3 shows a more detailed view of virtual universe client 24 shown inFIG. 1. Virtual universe client 24, which enables users to interact withVU 12, comprises a client management component 40, which managesactions, commands and communications made by a user through computer 20,and information received from the virtual universe through server array14. A rendering engine component 42 enables the user of computer 20 tovisualize his or her avatar within the surroundings of the particularregion of VU 12 that the avatar is presently located. As will be furtherdescribed herein, rendering engine 42 receives an alternativerepresentation of virtual content (e.g., a degraded avatar appearance)in VU 12 and renders it for display to the user of computer 20.

A motion controls component 44 enables the user's avatar(s) to makemovements through the virtual universe. In one embodiment, movementsthrough the virtual universe can include, for example, gestures,postures, walking, running, driving, flying, etc. An action controlscomponent 46 enables the user to perform actions in the virtual universesuch as buying items for his or her avatar or even for their real-lifeselves, building homes, planting gardens, etc. These actions are onlyillustrative of some possible actions that a user can perform in thevirtual universe and are not limiting. A communications interface 48enables a user to communicate with other users of VU 12 throughmodalities such as chatting, instant messaging, gesturing, talking andelectronic mail (e-mail).

FIG. 3 shows the various types of information received by clientmanagement component 40 from the virtual universe through the serverarray 14. In particular, client management component 40 receives avatarinformation about the avatars that are in proximity to the user'savatar, as well as information about the avatars that are in proximityto objects of interest in the virtual universe. In addition, clientmanagement component 40 receives location information about the areathat the user's avatar is near (e.g., what region or land the avatar isin), as well as scene information (e.g., what the avatar sees along aline of sight). Client management component 40 also receives proximityinformation, which contains information on what the user's avatar isnear, and virtual content information, which is information about theobjects, texts, and scripts of the virtual content renderable in thevirtual universe. FIG. 3 also shows the movement commands and actioncommands that are generated by the user and sent to the server array viaclient management component 40, as well as the communications that canbe sent to the users of other avatars within the virtual universe.

FIG. 4 shows a more detailed view of some of the functionalitiesprovided by server array 14 shown in FIG. 1. In particular, FIG. 4 showsa virtual region management component 50 that manages a virtualregion(s) within the virtual universe. Virtual region managementcomponent 50 manages what happens in a particular region, such as thetype of landscape in that region, the number of homes, commercial zones,boutiques, streets, parks, restaurants, etc. Those skilled in the artwill recognize that virtual region management component 50 can managemany other facets within the virtual region.

FIG. 4 shows a network interface 54 that enables server array 14 tointeract with virtual universe client 24 residing on computer 20. Inparticular, network interface 54 communicates avatar, location, scene,proximity, and virtual content information to the user through virtualuniverse client 24. The network interface receives movement and actioncommands, as well as communications from the user via virtual universeclient 24.

FIG. 4 also shows a degradation tool 53, which provides the capabilityto provide alternative representations of virtual content renderable inthe virtual universe by degrading the appearance of certain avatars inthe virtual universe, as will be further described below. In thisembodiment, degradation tool 53 resides on the same computer system asvirtual universe client 24. However, it can be appreciated that in otherembodiments, degradation tool 53 may reside on the same side as servers16, or reside on separate computers in direct communication with thevirtual universe servers 16 and virtual universe clients 24.

As shown in FIG. 4, there are several different databases for storinginformation. In particular, virtual region database 52 storesinformation on all of the specifics in the virtual region that virtualregion management component 50 is managing. Virtual region database 52contains metadata information about the objects, texts and scriptsassociated with the virtual content in the virtual region(s) of VU 12.List of active avatars database 56 contains a list of all the avatarsthat are online in the VU 12, while databases 58 and 60 containinformation on the actual human users of VU 12. In one embodiment, userdatabase 58 contains general information on the users such as names,email addresses, locales, interests, ages, preferences, etc., while userinformation database 60 contains more sensitive information on the userssuch as billing information (e.g., credit card information) for takingpart in transactions.

Asset database 62 contains information on the avatars of the users thatreside in VU 12. In one embodiment, asset database 62 containsinformation on the virtual content within the personal inventories ofeach avatar of the virtual universe. An illustrative but non-limitinglisting of the virtual content that can be present in asset database 62includes avatar accessories (e.g., clothing), virtual pets, vehicles,electronic media (e.g., music files), graphics files, sound files,animations, electronic documents, video files, avatar body parts, avatartools, calling cards, note cards, photos and photo albums, or any othertype of virtual content.

Those skilled in the art will also recognize that databases 56-62 maycontain additional information if desired. Databases 56-62 may beconsolidated into a single database or table, divided into multipledatabases or tables, or clustered into a database system spanningmultiple physical and logical devices. Further, although the aboveinformation is shown in FIG. 4 as being stored in databases, thoseskilled in the art will recognize that other configurations and means ofstoring information can be utilized. For example, databases 56-62 mightreside on the same computers as virtual universe client 24, havecomponents that reside on both server array 14 and virtual universeclient 24, or reside on separate computers in direct communication withvirtual universe servers 16 and virtual universe client 24.

An avatar transport component 66 enables users to transport, which asmentioned above, allows avatars to transport through space from onepoint to another point, instantaneously. As a result, an avatar couldfor example travel from a business region to an entertainment region toexperience a concert.

An avatar management component 68 keeps track of what the avatars aredoing while in the virtual universe. For example, avatar managementcomponent 68 can track where each avatar is presently located in thevirtual universe, as well as what activities it is performing or hasrecently performed. An illustrative but non-exhaustive list ofactivities can include shopping, eating, talking, recreating, etc.

Because a typical virtual universe has a vibrant economy, server array14 has functionalities that are configured to manage the economy. Inparticular, a universe economy management component 70 managestransactions that occur within the virtual universe between avatars. Inone embodiment, VU 12 will have its own VU currency ($VU) that users payfor with real-life money. The users can then take part in commercialtransactions for their avatars through universe economy managementcomponent 70. For example, an avatar might want to pay for a servicethat provides degradation of avatar appearances within the virtualuniverse. In this case, the avatar would make the purchase of thisservice using the $VU. In another example, a user may want to take partin a commercial transaction that benefits him or her and not an avatar.In this case, a commercial transaction management component 72 allowsthe user to participate in the transaction. For example, while walkingaround a commercial zone, a user may see a pair of shoes that he or shewould like for themselves and not an avatar. In order to fulfill thistype of transaction and others similarly related, commercial transactionmanagement component 72 interacts with banks 74, credit card companies76 and vendors 78.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 5, degradation tool 53 according toembodiments of the invention will be described in further detail. Asshown, degradation tool 53 comprises a visual obstruction component 80configured to identify an object in the virtual universe as an object ofinterest. As will be further described below, in various embodiments,objects of interest may be specified based on explicit predefinedobjects, inferred interests due to communication triggers, social tags,inventory objects, or previous interest in certain subject areas orobjects.

Visual obstruction component 80 is configured to determine whether setof avatars 39 is likely to cause a visual obstruction of the object ofinterest to avatar 38. In one approach, visual obstruction componentestablishes a line of sight 45 (FIG. 2) between avatar 38 and an objectof interest in VU 12 (e.g., supermarket 32, shopping mall 34, etc.). Toaccomplish this, visual obstruction component 80 determines thelocation/direction where avatar 38 is currently looking, or likely tolook next, and establishes this as line of sight 45. Line of sight 45refers to the visibility of certain virtual content, such as any numberof objects in virtual universe 12.

In another embodiment for determining whether set of avatars 39 islikely to cause a visual obstruction of the object of interest to avatar38, visual obstruction component 80 counts the total number of avatarswithin a predetermined proximity to the object of interest to determineif a visual obstruction of the object is likely. For example, if thenumber of avatars surrounding the object of interest exceeds apredefined threshold value, regardless of whether or not a currentvisual obstruction is occurring, visual obstruction component 80determines that a visual obstruction is likely based on the probabilitythat one or more avatars will subsequently travel into line of sight 45.

Next, if visual obstruction component 80 determines that a visualobstruction of the object of interest is likely, degradation tool 53 mayinvoke degraded avatar renderings for the occluding avatars. In oneembodiment, degradation tool 53 comprises a modification component 82configured to degrade the appearance of at least one of set of avatars39 within VU 12 if set of avatars 39 within VU 12 is likely to cause avisual obstruction of the object of interest to avatar 38. Specifically,modification component 82 is configured to degrade the appearance of atleast one of set of avatars 39 within VU 12 if set of avatars 39 isposited in line of sight 45, which extends between avatar 38 and theobject of interest. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, at least one of setof avatars 39 is touching (i.e., positioned in) line of sight 45 fromavatar 38 to the object of interest, in this case, shopping mall 34.Therefore, modification component 82 degrades the appearance of theoccluding avatar to increase the visibility of shopping mall 34 toavatar 38.

A variety of degradation rendering approaches may be employed to degradethe appearance of the avatar(s) including, but not limited to: reductionof at least one geometric dimension of the avatar (e.g., wireframerendering, polygon reduction, “stickman” rendering, thin cylinders,etc.), or adjustment of a transparency level of the avatar. It can beappreciated that each degradation type represents potential approachesand degrees of simplifying that may be rendered singly or incombination, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.For example, in one embodiment, a policy table may be used to provide aseries of occluding avatars at multiple levels of degradation.

Degradation tool 53 of the present invention is not limited in the typeor amount of objects that may be specified by visual obstructioncomponent 80 as objects of interest. For example, in one embodiment, anon-limiting listing of objects considered objects of interest includes,but is not limited to: an object in the virtual universe that is beingviewed by the avatar, at least one of the set of avatars that has had apast interaction with the avatar, an object in the virtual universe thatis being viewed by a plurality of avatars from the set of avatars, anobject in the virtual universe within a rendering radius of a pluralityof avatars from the set of avatars, an object selected by the avatar asan object of interest, an object that matches metadata in the personalinventory of the avatar, an object selected by an administrator of thevirtual universe, an object in which an entity associated with theobject (e.g., object owner, object creator, or a third-party) has paid afee, or virtually any other object in the virtual universe that iscapable of being visually recognized by an avatar.

These objects of interest may be specified using a variety ofapproaches. In one embodiment, objects that are considered communityobjects, i.e., objects of interest to multiple avatars, can be specifiedas objects of interest. For example, objects that are within a renderingradius of a defined percentage of avatars within the virtual universemay be selected as objects of interest. In another example, objects thatare presently being viewed by a predefined number of avatars in thevirtual universe may be considered community objects and selected asobjects of interest.

In another embodiment, avatars that are known to a user throughspecification of a “friends list” or through past interactions andcommunications (e.g., chat, e-mail, etc.) may be selected as objects ofinterest. Additionally, degradation tool 53 may monitor teleportationsand teleportation invites. Avatars that accept a teleportation invitemay be candidates for object selection. In this case, if multipleavatars teleport to the same region within a specified period of time,those avatars may be candidates for object selection as they may betraveling and rendered together in the virtual universe.

Several manual approaches are also available for selecting an object ofinterest in the virtual universe. For example, in one embodiment, theuser of an avatar may specify an object or group of objects as objectsof interest. The selection may be performed via an input device byselecting the object and invoking the appropriate method. Such selectionmay be permanent, or ephemeral, wherein degraded avatars may besubsequently rendered fully if the user specifies. This user selectionmay apply only to the specific object selected, or to all objects ofthat type within the virtual universe or a region within the virtualuniverse.

In another example, a user may specify a term or terms that are ofinterest to the user. Such selection may be performed through aconfiguration system on virtual universe server client 24. Objects thatcontain metadata that match the user specified term or terms arepresented to the user as potential objects of interest. For example, auser may specify the term “football” as a subject of interest. Uponentering a region within the virtual universe, objects containingmetadata terms related to the term “football” may be selected as objectsof interest. Further, this may also be invoked automatically, whereinobjects in the virtual universe are compared to the metadata of itemswithin the personal inventory of the avatar.

In yet another example, the owner of a region or the creator of avirtual universe may specify objects as objects of interest. Forexample, it may be desirable for a virtual region storeowner to ensurethat each avatar has unobstructed views of a product that the storeowneris trying to sell. The virtual region storeowner may annotate themetadata for the object with instructions to render the object as anobject of interest. Region owners may wish to tag a plurality of objectswithin a region as objects of interest including, but not limited to:store signs, salespeople, cashiers, objects for sale, security/safetyofficers, etc.

Although a group of avatars within a proximity to the object of interesthas been degraded, these avatars may still partially occlude theavatar's view, or appear “blurred” as they move in front of the objectof interest. To help the object of interest stand out even further, theappearance of the object of interest may be modified. In one embodiment,modification component 82 is configured to enhance an appearance of theobject of interest to increase a visual contrast between the object ofinterest and the occluding avatars. For example, brighter colors and/oradditive lighting may give the object of interest a slight glow to makeit more noticeable. Or, the object of interest may also be enlarged soas to be more prominent behind the occluding avatars. It will beappreciated that these modifications represent a few non-limitingexamples of enhancements that can be made to the object of interest, andthat many other approaches are possible within the scope of the presentinvention.

In another embodiment of this invention, degradation tool 53 is used asa service to charge fees for facilitating the degradation of avatarappearances in the virtual universe. As shown in FIG. 5, degradationtool 53 comprises a transaction component 88 configured to charge atransaction fee for degrading avatar appearances in the virtualuniverse. In this embodiment, the provider of the virtual universe or athird party service provider could offer this transaction as a serviceby performing the functionalities described herein on a subscriptionand/or fee basis. In this case, the provider of the virtual universe orthe third party service provider can create, deploy, maintain, support,etc., degradation tool 53 that performs the processes described herein.In return, the virtual universe or the third party service provider canreceive payment from the virtual universe residents via universe economymanagement component 70 and commercial transaction management component72 (FIG. 4).

In still another embodiment, the methodologies disclosed herein can beused within a computer system to provide degraded avatar appearances inthe virtual universe. In this case, degradation tool 53 can be provided,and one or more systems for performing the processes described in theinvention can be obtained and deployed to a computer infrastructure. Tothis extent, the deployment can comprise one or more of (1) installingprogram code on a computing device, such as a computer system, from acomputer-readable medium; (2) adding one or more computing devices tothe infrastructure; and (3) incorporating and/or modifying one or moreexisting systems of the infrastructure to enable the infrastructure toperform the process actions of the invention.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic of an exemplary computing environment in whichelements of the networking environment shown in FIG. 1 may operate. Theexemplary computing environment 100 is only one example of a suitablecomputing environment and is not intended to suggest any limitation asto the scope of use or functionality of the invention described herein.Neither should computing environment 100 be interpreted as having anydependency or requirement relating to any one or combination ofcomponents illustrated in FIG. 6.

In the computing environment 100 there is a computer 102, which isoperational with numerous other general purpose or special purposecomputing system environments or configurations. Examples of well knowncomputing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may besuitable for use with computer 102 include, but are not limited to,personal computers, server computers, thin clients, thick clients,hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems,microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumerelectronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers,distributed computing environments that include any of the above systemsor devices, and the like.

Computer 102 may be described in the general context ofcomputer-executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer. Generally, program modules include routines,programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, and so on thatperform particular tasks or implements particular abstract data types.The exemplary computer 102 may be practiced in distributed computingenvironments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices thatare linked through a communications network. In a distributed computingenvironment, program modules may be located in both local and remotecomputer storage media including memory storage devices.

As shown in FIG. 6, computer 102 in the computing environment 100 isshown in the form of a general-purpose computing device. The componentsof computer 102 may include, but are not limited to, one or moreprocessors or processing units 104, a system memory 106, and a bus 108that couples various system components including system memory 106 toprocessor 104.

Bus 108 represents one or more of any of several types of busstructures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheralbus, an accelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus usingany of a variety of bus architectures. By way of example, and notlimitation, such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture(ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA)bus, Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, andPeripheral Component Interconnects (PCI) bus.

Computer 102 typically includes a variety of computer readable media.Such media may be any available media that is accessible by computer102, and it includes both volatile and non-volatile media, removable andnon-removable media.

In FIG. 6, system memory 106 includes computer readable media in theform of volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 110, and/ornon-volatile memory, such as ROM 112. A BIOS 114 containing the basicroutines that help to transfer information between elements withincomputer 102, such as during start-up, is stored in ROM 112. RAM 110typically contains data and/or program modules that are immediatelyaccessible to and/or presently operated on by processor 104.

Computer 102 may further include other removable/non-removable,volatile/non-volatile computer storage media. By way of example only,FIG. 6 illustrates a hard disk drive 116 for reading from and writing toa non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media (not shown and typicallycalled a “hard drive”), a magnetic disk drive 118 for reading from andwriting to a removable, non-volatile magnetic disk 120 (e.g., a “floppydisk”), and an optical disk drive 122 for reading from or writing to aremovable, non-volatile optical disk 124 such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM orother optical media. Hard disk drive 116, magnetic disk drive 118, andoptical disk drive 122 are each connected to bus 108 by one or more datamedia interfaces 126.

The drives and their associated computer-readable media providenonvolatile storage of computer readable instructions, data structures,program modules, and other data for computer 102. Although the exemplaryenvironment described herein employs hard disk 116, a removable magneticdisk 118 and a removable optical disk 122, it should be appreciated bythose skilled in the art that other types of computer readable mediawhich can store data that is accessible by a computer, such as magneticcassettes, flash memory cards, digital video disks, RAMs, ROM, and thelike, may also be used in the exemplary operating environment.

A number of program modules may be stored on hard disk 116, magneticdisk 120, optical disk 122, ROM 112, or RAM 110, including, by way ofexample, and not limitation, an operating system 128, one or moreapplication programs 130, other program modules 132, and program data134. Each of the operating system 128, one or more application programs130 other program modules 132, and program data 134 or some combinationthereof, may include an implementation of the networking environment 10of FIG. 1 including server array 14 and virtual universe client 24. Inone embodiment, the one or more application programs 130 includecomponents of degradation tool 53, such as visual obstruction component80, alternative component 82, and transaction component 88.

The one or more program modules 130 carry out the methodologiesdisclosed herein, as shown in FIG. 7. According to one embodiment, instep S1, an object within the virtual universe is identified as anobject of interest. In S2, it is determined whether a set of avatarswithin the virtual universe is likely to cause a visual obstruction ofthe object of interest to an avatar. In S3, the appearance of at leastone of the set of avatars within the virtual universe is degraded if theset of avatars within the virtual universe is likely to cause a visualobstruction of the object of interest to the avatar. The flowchart ofFIG. 7 illustrates the architecture, functionality, and operation ofpossible implementations of systems, methods and computer programproducts according to various embodiments of the present invention. Inthis regard, each block in the flowchart may represent a module,segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executableinstructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). Itshould also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, thefunctions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in thefigures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, beexecuted substantially concurrently. It will also be noted that eachblock of flowchart illustration can be implemented by special purposehardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, orcombinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

Referring back to FIG. 6, a user may enter commands and information intocomputer 102 through optional input devices such as a keyboard 136 and apointing device 138 (e.g., a “mouse”). Other input devices (not shown)may include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, serialport, scanner, camera, or the like. These and other input devices areconnected to processor unit 104 through a user input interface 140 thatis coupled to bus 108, but may be connected by other interface and busstructures, such as a parallel port, game port, or a universal serialbus (USB).

An optional monitor 142 or other type of display device is alsoconnected to bus 108 via an interface, such as a video adapter 144. Inaddition to the monitor, personal computers typically include otherperipheral output devices (not shown), such as speakers and printers,which may be connected through output peripheral interface 146.

Computer 102 may operate in a networked environment using logicalconnections to one or more remote computers, such as a remoteserver/computer 148. Remote computer 148 may include many or all of theelements and features described herein relative to computer 102.

Logical connections shown in FIG. 6 are a local area network (LAN) 150and a general wide area network (WAN) 152. Such networking environmentsare commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks,intranets, and the Internet. When used in a LAN networking environment,the computer 102 is connected to LAN 150 via network interface oradapter 154. When used in a WAN networking environment, the computertypically includes a modem 156 or other means for establishingcommunications over the WAN 152. The modem, which may be internal orexternal, may be connected to system bus 108 via the user inputinterface 140 or other appropriate mechanism.

In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to thepersonal computer 102, or portions thereof, may be stored in a remotememory storage device. By way of example, and not limitation, FIG. 6illustrates remote application programs 158 as residing on a memorydevice of remote computer 148. It will be appreciated that the networkconnections shown and described are exemplary and other means ofestablishing a communications link between the computers may be used.

An implementation of an exemplary computer 102 may be stored on ortransmitted across some form of computer readable media. Computerreadable media can be any available media that can be accessed by acomputer. By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable mediamay comprise “computer storage media” and “communications media.”

“Computer storage media” include volatile and non-volatile, removableand non-removable media implemented in any method or technology forstorage of information such as computer readable instructions, datastructures, program modules, or other data. Computer storage mediaincludes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or othermemory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or otheroptical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic diskstorage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which canbe used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by acomputer.

“Communication media” typically embodies computer readable instructions,data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated datasignal, such as carrier wave or other transport mechanism. Communicationmedia also includes any information delivery media.

The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one or more ofits characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encodeinformation in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation,communication media includes wired media such as a wired network ordirect-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF,infrared, and other wireless media. Combinations of any of the above arealso included within the scope of computer readable media.

It is apparent that there has been provided with this inventionembodiments for degrading avatar appearances in a virtual universe.While the invention has been particularly shown and described inconjunction with a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be appreciatedthat variations and modifications will occur to those skilled in theart. Therefore, it is to be understood that the appended claims areintended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within thetrue spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for degrading avatar appearances in avirtual universe, the method comprising: monitoring a set ofteleportation invitations issued to avatars in the virtual universe, theteleportation invitations comprising invitations to teleport to a regionwithin the virtual universe; identifying an object in the virtualuniverse as an object of interest based on a social tag; identifying aset of avatars that have each accepted at least one of the set ofteleportation invitations; determining whether the set of avatars islikely to cause a visual obstruction of the object of interest to anavatar other than the set of avatars, the determining comprisingcalculating whether a number of avatars of the set of avatars that shallbe rendered, as a result of having accepted at least one of the set ofteleportation invitations, within a predetermined proximity to theobject of interest exceeds a predefined threshold; rendering the set ofavatars in the virtual universe per the accepted at least one of the setof teleportation invitations, at least one of the rendered set ofavatars having a degraded appearance if the set of avatars within thevirtual universe is likely to cause a visual obstruction of the objectof interest to the avatar other than the set of avatars, enhancing anappearance of the object of interest to increase a visual contrastbetween the object of interest and the set of avatars in response to thedegrading; and charging a rendering fee for facilitating the degradationof avatar appearances in the virtual universe; wherein the degradingcomprises reducing at least one geometric dimension of the at least oneof the set of avatars.
 2. The method according to claim 1, thedetermining comprising determining whether the set of avatars istouching a line of sight between the object of interest and the avatar.3. The method according to claim 2, the degrading comprising degradingthe appearance of the at least one of the set of avatars within thevirtual universe in response to a determination that the set of avatarsis touching the line of sight between the object of interest and theavatar.
 4. The method according to claim 3, the object of interestcomprising at least one of the following: an object in the virtualuniverse that is being viewed by the avatar, at least one of the set ofavatars that has had a past interaction with the avatar, an object inthe virtual universe that is being viewed by a plurality of avatars fromthe set of avatars, an object in the virtual universe that is within arendering radius of a plurality of avatars from the set of avatars, anobject selected by the avatar as an object of interest, an object thatmatches metadata in an inventory of the avatar, an object selected by anadministrator of the virtual universe, or an object in which an entityassociated with the object has paid a fee.
 5. The method according toclaim 1, the reducing comprising at least one of the following:wireframe rendering or polygon reduction.
 6. A computer system fordegrading avatar appearances in a virtual universe, comprising: at leastone processing unit; memory operably associated with the at least oneprocessing unit; and a degradation tool storable in memory andexecutable by the at least one processing unit, the degradation toolcomprising: a visual obstruction component configured to: monitor a setof teleportation invitations issued to avatars in the virtual universe,the teleportation invitations comprising invitations to teleport to aregion within the virtual universe; identify an object in the virtualuniverse as an object of interest based on a match between a metadataterm of the object and a preselected keyword; identify a set of avatarsthat have each accepted at least one of the set of teleportationinvitations; make a determination as to whether the set of avatarswithin the virtual universe is likely to cause a visual obstruction ofthe object of interest to an avatar other than the set of avatars, thedetermination comprising a calculation of whether a number of avatars ofthe set of avatars that shall be rendered, as a result of havingaccepted at least one of the set of teleportation invitations, within apredetermined proximity to the object of interest exceeds a predefinedthreshold; enhance an appearance of the object of interest to increase avisual contrast between the object of interest and the set of avatars inresponse to a reduction of at least one geometric dimension of at leastone of a plurality of avatars of the set of avatars; and a modificationcomponent configured to: make the reduction of the at least onegeometric dimension of the at least one of the plurality of avatars ofthe set of avatars, in response to teleportation of the plurality ofavatars being complete, to a plurality of levels of degradation withinthe virtual universe if the set of avatars within the virtual universeis likely to cause a visual obstruction of the object of interest to theavatar other than the set of avatars, a transaction component configuredto: charge a rendering fee for facilitating the reduction of the atleast one geometric dimension of the at least one of the plurality ofavatars.
 7. The computer system according to claim 6, the visualobstruction component further configured to determine whether the set ofavatars is touching a line of sight between the object of interest andthe avatar.
 8. The computer system according to claim 7, the degradingbeing in response to a determination that the set of avatars is touchingthe line of sight between the object of interest and the avatar.
 9. Thecomputer system according to claim 8, the object of interest comprisingat least one of the following: an object in the virtual universe that isbeing viewed by the avatar, at least one of the set of avatars that hashad a past interaction with the avatar, an object in the virtualuniverse that is being viewed by a plurality of avatars from the set ofavatars, an object in the virtual universe that is within a renderingradius of a plurality of avatars from the set of avatars, an objectselected by the avatar as an object of interest, an object that matchesmetadata in an inventory of the avatar, an object selected by anadministrator of the virtual universe, or an object in which an entityassociated with the object has paid a fee.
 10. The computer systemaccording to claim 6, the modification component further configured toperform at least one of the following: wireframe rendering or polygonreduction.
 11. A computer-readable storage device storing computerinstructions, which when executed, enables a computer system to degradeavatar appearances in a virtual universe, the computer instructionscomprising: monitoring a set of teleportation invitations issued toavatars in the virtual universe, the teleportation invitationscomprising invitations to teleport to a region within the virtualuniverse; identifying an object in the virtual universe as an object ofinterest, the identifying being based on at least one of: a social tag,and a match between a metadata term of the object and a preselectedkeyword; identifying a set of avatars that have each accepted at leastone of the set of teleportation invitations; determining whether the setof avatars within the virtual universe is likely to cause a visualobstruction of the object of interest to an avatar other than the set ofavatars, the determining comprising calculating whether a number ofavatars of the set of avatars that shall be rendered, as a result ofhaving accepted at least one of the set of teleportation invitations,within a predetermined proximity to the object of interest exceeds apredefined threshold; degrading an appearance of at least one of the setof avatars within the virtual universe if the set of avatars within thevirtual universe is likely to cause a visual obstruction of the objectof interest to the avatar other than the set of avatars; and enhancingan appearance of the object of interest to increase a visual contrastbetween the object of interest and the set of avatars in response to thedegrading; charging a rendering fee for facilitating the degradation ofavatar appearances in the virtual universe; wherein the degradingcomprises reducing at least one geometric dimension of the at least oneof the set of avatars.
 12. The computer-readable storage deviceaccording to claim 11 further comprising instructions for determiningwhether the set of avatars within the virtual universe is touching aline of sight between the avatar and the object of interest.
 13. Thecomputer-readable storage device according to claim 12, the degradingbeing in response to a determination that the set of avatars ispositioned in the line of sight between the avatar and the object ofinterest.
 14. The computer-readable storage device according to claim13, the object of interest comprising at least one of: an object in thevirtual universe that is being viewed by the avatar, at least one of theset of avatars that has had a past interaction with the avatar, anobject in the virtual universe that is being viewed by a plurality ofavatars from the set of avatars, an object in the virtual universe thatis within a rendering radius of a plurality of avatars from the set ofavatars, an object selected by the avatar as an object of interest, anobject that matches metadata in an inventory of the avatar, an objectselected by an administrator of the virtual universe, or an object inwhich an entity associated with the object has paid a fee.
 15. Thecomputer-readable storage device according to claim 11, the reducingcomprising at least one of wireframe rendering or polygon reduction. 16.A method for deploying a degradation tool for use in a computer systemthat degrades avatar appearances in a virtual universe, comprising:providing a computer infrastructure operable to: monitor a set ofteleportation invitations issued to avatars in the virtual universe, theteleportation invitations comprising invitations to teleport to a regionwithin the virtual universe; identify an object in the virtual universeas an object of interest based on at least one of a social tag, and amatch between a metadata term of the object and a preselected keyword;identify a set of avatars that have each accepted at least one of theset of teleportation invitations; make a determination as to whether aset of avatars within the virtual universe is likely to cause a visualobstruction of the object of interest to an avatar other than the set ofavatars, the determination comprising a calculation of whether a numberof avatars of the set of avatars that shall be rendered, as a result ofhaving accepted at least one of the set of teleportation invitations,within a predetermined proximity to the object of interest exceeds apredefined threshold; and degrade an appearance of at least one of aplurality of avatars of the set of avatars, in response to teleportationof the plurality of avatars being complete, to a plurality of levels ofdegradation within the virtual universe if the set of avatars within thevirtual universe is likely to cause a visual obstruction of the objectof interest to the avatar other than the set of avatars; enhance anappearance of the object of interest to increase a visual contrastbetween the object of interest and the set of avatars in response to thedegradation; and charge a rendering fee for facilitating the degradationof avatar appearances in the virtual universe; wherein the degrade stepcomprises reducing at least one geometric dimension of the at least oneof the set of avatars.